Vienna

Vienna, Austria – Tuesday, November 3, 2009 – 6:07pm local time

I’ve had really a very enjoyable time here in Vienna today, the weather notwithstanding.  There were a couple of disappointments.  First, I had planned to go by train or bus 30 miles away to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.  Vienna and Bratislava are the closest capital cities in the world, and I wanted the chance to tick another country off the list.  The bad weather here was worse in Bratislava, so I decided to skip it this time around.  Ah well, maybe next time.

 

The bigger disappointment was not being able to take my camera out as I walked around the city for seven hours today.  All the wet weather would have made it virtually impossible to get any picturesque shots, and I really didn’t feel like fooling with keeping the lens dry and free of water drops or snow flakes all day.  So, I had to content myself with my cellphone camera.  That means you get to look at shots like this:

Not terrible, but the Vienna Visitor’s Bureau is certainly not going to be chasing me through the airport to get a copy before I fly away.

 

I got to see a little of the Spanish Riding School and snapped one of the famous Lipizzaner as he poked his head out of the stable to catch a flake or two.  I thought of my mom, as she’s always wanted to see them.

 

Whenever I travel, I love to look inside any old church I come across, be it Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, whatever.  There are more than a few of those in Vienna, so I’ve been to many an altar today.  Fascinating!  The Capuchin Church here was probably my favorite today.  As purposefully simple in design as it can possibly be, I almost walked right past it.  It is very simple and very small, but almost all the rulers of the Hapsburg dynasty are buried (en-crypted?) there.  A Mass was in progress, and I stood and watched and listened for 15 or 20 minutes.  The general emptiness of much of Catholicism aside, such peace.

 

Most people think of Mozart when they think of Vienna.  I saw his house today.  Did you know that also he stayed one time at this very guesthouse where I’m staying?  Maybe we shared a room.  Probably not.  I also saw a house today where Beethoven lived for many years.  Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin.  That’s Vienna to me.  Forget Freud!

 

Home tomorrow.  I can’t wait to see my wife and children.  This has been a short trip compared to some others I done, but I’m ready to be home.  Thanks for your prayers along the way.  They’ve affected much.  Before I put the wraps on the blog for this fall trip, I’ll post about why I chose to spend a day in Vienna.

 

More to come…